NGAdesuwa Okunbo-Rhodes, Managing Partner of Aruwa Capital Management, shared her early career journey in finance, starting with an investment banking role at Lehman Brothers at 18 and later joining J.P. Morgan by 20. She transitioned into private equity and impact investing, focusing on African businesses that combine financial returns with social impact. Okunbo-Rhodes identified significant funding gaps for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and women-led businesses in Nigeria and Ghana, noting that less than 2% of capital went to female entrepreneurs despite Africa having four times the female entrepreneurship rate compared to Europe. Inspired by these findings, she founded Aruwa Capital in 2019 with a $20 million initial fund, which has since grown to manage $80 million across two funds.
Bias read (Center): The article presents a personal narrative of professional achievement and economic insight without overt ideological framing. While discussing issues relevant to economic policy and gender disparities in business, the tone remains objective, focusing on factual contributions and market observations.
